


Breathe

by captain_americano



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, First Kiss, Get Together, Happy Ending, M/M, Sad everybody, Unlike endgame, big time lol, don’t get me started, or ffh, or the Sony/Disney/Marvel deal, sad americano, sad spidey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2019-08-23
Packaged: 2020-09-24 17:37:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20362453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captain_americano/pseuds/captain_americano
Summary: “Go get changed into your gym gear, and we’ll go for a jog,” Tony said, already making his way out of the workshop. “It’ll clear your head. The fresh air will be good for you.”“What the heck,” Peter whispered to himself. “You jog?” He called after Tony, who didn’t deign reply.This is highkey my response tothese photos.





	Breathe

**Author's Note:**

> I have had the shittest week in what has already been a big ole two-month long dose of manic depression, and I’m so genuinely upset about Spider-Man being out of the MCU. 
> 
> I’m 98% sure this is trash but I literally do not care at the moment, because look at what caring gets me.
> 
> I’m tired and did very little editing, so sorry if it doesn’t make any sense.

“Kid. Peter.” 

“What?” Peter jolted suddenly, looking over to where Tony was frowning at him from across the workshop. “Oh, s-sorry, Mr. Stark, I think I zoned out…” he looked down to where he was holding a wrench so tightly the metal had warped to fit the grooves of his fingers. He gently placed the tool on the bench.

“Bud, you didn’t just zone out, you were in a whole other universe. What’s going on?” Tony asked sharply.

“Nothing, I’m fine,” he said after a moment of hesitation, and Tony gave him an unimpressed look. Peter bit his lip, looking guiltily out the window to the grounds of the compound.

“Is it the new webshooters? I knew I shouldn’t have let you test them before I’d finished recalibration the rapid fire trajectory. Give ‘em back and I’ll fix that up right now,” Tony said, walking over to Peter and holding out his hand.

“N-no, Mr. Stark, the webshooters are great!” Peter said quickly. “Actually, I like the current trajectory! I mean, I have to move my wrists slightly to the left and hold my arms at one-sixty-seven degrees, but they’re great!”

Tony narrowed his eyes. “Is it Rogers? Is he giving you a hard time at training? Because I’ve tinkered with some of the training bots he plays around with in the gym and I can sic them on him if he steps a toe out of line.”

“No — wait, you did what?” Peter asked, horrified, and Tony waved his hand lazily.

“They’re meant to attack him so he can train, they just also have a ‘survival mode’ setting I’m yet to test.”

“Right,” Peter said, shifting uncomfortably on his stool.

“So what’s up, kid?” Tony asked, more gentle and caring than Peter was used to. He liked Tony when he was like this. Really, he liked Tony all the time, but when he showed he cared, Peter felt warm and special.

“I just,” Peter took a deep breath and looked down to where he was wringing his hands in his lap. “I’ve just been so tired all the time lately, and the cold weather is starting to bug me, and I’m so, so stressed about finals, I’ve got study and exams and homework every day of the week, and I don’t have enough time to do all that and patrol, but I’ve still got to patrol because if I don’t people get hurt, and May’s over working herself too, and I can see her struggling and I don’t know how to help because I don’t think I can find a part time job as well as school as well as the internship as well as Spider-Man and please don’t get me wrong, I’m so grateful and so lucky but I just feel—” Peter floundered, feeling tears welling in his eyes.

“Overwhelmed?” Tony offered.

“Understatement,” Peter laughed wryly.

Tony pursed his lips and looked out the window. The sun was shiny, but the wind rippling the trees was bitterly cold. It would probably snow soon.

“Go get changed,” Tony said suddenly, clapping his hands together and startling Peter.

“What do you — what do you mean?” Peter asked, hesitantly standing.

“Go get changed into your gym gear, and we’ll go for a jog,” Tony said, already making his way out of the workshop. “It’ll clear your head. The fresh air will be good for you.”

“What the heck,” Peter whispered to himself. “You jog?” He called after Tony, who didn’t deign reply.

Ten minutes later, Peter was standing in the foyer, awkwardly waiting for Tony. He still felt so out of place at the compound, especially when he was alone — like he wasn’t meant to be there.

“Alright,” Tony said, from the top of the stairs, stretching out his muscles as he descended. “There’s a light four-mile track around the lake.”

“Sure you should be running with your heart condition?” Peter grinned flicking the arc reactor through Tony’s shirt.

“Okay, smartass,” Tony said, clapping Peter’s shoulder as they stepped outside into the fresh air. Without warning, Tony took off in the direction of the lake. “First one to the top of the hill on the other side of the lake wins!” He called over his shoulder.

“Hey, that’s not fair!” Peter shouted back, kicking himself into gear and taking off after Tony, a wide grin spreading across his face as Tony laughed. 

Peter caught up to Tony easily and kept the pace, his breathing even as Tony’s started to catch a bit after the first mile. Even with all of his technology and brainpower, Tony was still only human and just didn’t have Peter’s super stamina.

Peter focused on the sharp sting of the wind hitting his face, his feet rhythmically pounding the soft forest floor, and Tony’s quiet huffs to his right. He took in the smell of pine and lake water, listened to the life of the forest, and took deep, calming breaths of the chilly air as he tried to clear his mind.

As they slowly started ascending the hill that marked the halfway point, Peter noticed Tony sneakily trying to pull ahead, so he kicked it up a notch, grinning as he left Tony in the dust and reached the bench at the top of the hill first, turning around look over the grounds of the compound.

A moment later, Tony caught up and collapsed on the bench, running his hands through his messy, slightly damp hair.

“I won,” Peter taunted, joining Tony on the bench.

“Yeah, big surprise, kid,” Tony scoffed, rolling his eyes, and Peter laughed.

They sat in comfortable silence, looking out over the lake and the Avengers base beyond, Tony’s breathing slowly evening out.

“You know, you don’t have to put so much pressure on yourself, Peter,” Tony said quietly, and Peter turned to look at him, opening his mouth to protest. Tony silenced him with a meaningful look. “What I mean is — it’s okay to take some time for yourself or ask for help. Take it from a guy who did neither for forty-something years: you can’t do everything on your own.” 

“But what about —”

“Look, Peter, life’s going to throw a lot of crap at you. It already has. You can’t get too caught up on the bad stuff. I know it’s hard, and you’re stressed out of your mind, but it’s not worth worrying about, honestly,” Tony said bluntly.

“So, what, I just throw my education away, stop helping the people who need it most and — and — and, I don’t know, give up? Don’t sweat the ‘small stuff?’” Peter said heatedly, and Tony gave him a considering look.

“Sorry,” Tony said sheepishly, after a moment. “I’m not great at giving advice.”

“I’m not great at taking it,” Peter grumbled, crossing his arms and pouting out at the lake.

“Tell me about it,” Tony huffed. “I guess what I’m trying to say is — I can help, okay? If you need help studying, or want someone to cover your patrols — not me, but I can work something out with one of the newlings — or want to ease the financial strain on May, or, I don’t know, take some time away from the internship, okay? I don’t care, whatever. Whatever I can do to make you happy, and make your life easier — just tell me, Peter.”

Peter scuffed his shoes in the grass for a moment while he tried to think of what to say, but Tony kept talking.

“I know you’re upset and you feel like you don’t have any balance in your life. I’ve been there, and it sucks. But things work out in the end. Even when everything seems hopeless, and you don’t want to get up in the morning and face the day, even when everything seems to be going wrong. You have a lot of people who care about you, and you’re a good person, Peter Parker, so just ease up on yourself a bit, alright?” Tony said softly, knocking his shoulder against Peter’s.

“Thanks, Mr. Stark,” Peter said quietly, and he meant it. Tony was right (not that Peter wanted to get in the habit of telling him that — his ego was already over-inflated, thank you very much). “I just want to make you and May proud.”

“You do,” Tony said immediately. “Every day, you make me so proud, and I know May feels the same way. You should give yourself more credit.” 

“You give me too much,” Peter muttered.

“Hey, none of that,” Tony said gently taking Peter’s chin and tilting his face to look at him. “Peter, you have to know how wonderful you are. You’re at least as smart as I was at your age, you’re kind and a hard worker, and you’re a real hero to real people, Peter.”

Peter felt his cheeks grow warm at the praise, or maybe it was from how close Tony’s face was to his own.

“Mr. Stark?” Peter asked in a whisper, and Tony blinked and let him go, leaning away.

“So, uh, yeah. If you need or want anything — just ask. I have literally unlimited resources at your disposal,” Tony said, standing up and stretching. “Ready to get going?”

“Um, wait,” Peter said, standing so quickly he nearly tripped, his heart almost beating through his chest as he scrambled for words without really thinking too hard. “There’s one thing I wanted to ask for?”

“What’s that, Peter?” Tony asked, and Peter took a hesitant step closer.

“Um, well, you — you can say no. I believe you about the rest, and I think I know the answer will be no, but, like, I thought maybe, if there was ever a good time to ask — which — which there probably isn’t, but if there was a good time, then maybe it would be — mmf!” Tony cut him off by gently cupping his cheek and pressing a soft, chaste kiss to his lips.

Peter blinked in surprise as Tony stepped back and gave him a worried look. “You were going to ask me to kiss you, right?”

“Yeah,” Peter said absently, lightly tracing his fingertips over the spot where Tony’s lips had met his. “Yeah, I was. Did that just happen?” Peter said, looking at Tony in disbelief.

“Yes,” Tony said firmly, though he didn’t look as confident as he sounded.

“Kiss me again?” Peter asked hopefully, a small smile spreading across his face as Tony obliged.

**Author's Note:**

> I’m sorry if that was crap, I just had to get it out of my system. Also, I know it’s still(?) summer in the States but where I am is fucking cold and I’m sick of the winter weather and it’s one more reason I’m sad and grumpy so it’s one more reason Peter is too. 
> 
> Anywhoo, I hope you’re all doing well xx


End file.
